Plant Based Diet

This is not really super healthy, but it is a healthier version of a glorious comfort food. Next time I make this I’ll season it up a little more even though my husband thinks it is perfect just the way it is. We both had two helpings, this is what was left…

Only 1/4 of the nine inch pie pan. The 1 year old had already eaten and the 3 year old only had a small piece. This is your warning, make a lot if you plan to eat this. This lonely leftover piece is already packed away for my husband to take to work tomorrow, he mentioned something about bragging and showing it off.

This is not a typical pie crust, I was hoping for a flaky biscuit crust but this is more like a drop biscuit crust. You can use a different crust if you have a favorite but this one is tasty. I have hopes of making lots of other things with this crust. This recipe was not difficult but it does use a lot of ingredients and a lot of different steps. Hopefully you can keep up with the insanity that follows.

Ingredients for Veggie Filling

• 3 cups water
• 2 potatoes, pilled and diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 cup green beans (I had cooked green beans in my freezer)

Do

1. Bring water to boil.
2. Add all veggies. If any of the veggies have already been cooked you can add them near the end of the cooking time.
3. Cook until all veggies are tender then remove from heat.

Ingredients for Pot Pie Crust

• 2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance
• 3/4 cup plant milk ( I used Almond Milk)

Do

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl add dry ingredients together and mix well.
3. Cut in Earth Balance until small pebbles will form.
4. Add in milk 1/4 cup at a time. Only use as much as you need. The dough will be very wet.
5. Spray pie plate with cooking spray.
6. Using your hands spread a little more than half of the dough in the bottom of the pie plate and along the sides.
7. With a slotted spoon scoop cooked veggies into pie plate. I cooked a lot more veggies that I needed but they will be a nice little addition to another meal later.
8. Pour the Easy All Purpose Sauce (the recipe is below) on top of the veggies.
9. Using your hands spread the remaining dough onto the top of the pot pie. Try to use as small amounts as possible, don’t worry if there is not enough.
10. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. The crust will be golden brown.
11. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe for Easy All Purpose Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance
• 1 Tbsp corn starch (2 tbsp of flour may be substituted but 1/4 cup more liquid will be required)
• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 1/4 plant milk
• several dashes of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder

I know that I am weird but I didn’t miss the meat, although I kept typing “chicken pot pie”. I cut the veggies big so that there was a nice texture and something to chew. You can use any veggies you like in this. If you’re transitioning off of meat this is a great recipe. You could add a small amount of chicken and use chicken broth and your family would feel like they are getting a meaty meal. 

If you don’t have a lot of time you could use frozen veggies and a pre-made pie crust. The sauce takes less than 10 minutes start to finish, but it does take constant attention. I would not recommend using canned sauce as most of them have MSG or other unsavory ingredients.

In your journey to eat healthier you can’t get caught up in every little detail. I used fresh veggies but they important thing is that your family is eating veggies.  Even small steps are steps in the right direction. My 3 year old didn’t want to eat his carrots so we all ate carrots at the same time. 

Next time I will add 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp more salt to the crust, maybe even some nutritional yeast. I’m also thinking of a spicy meal, maybe a Taco Pot Pie using my Lentil Taco’s Recipe.

Happy Eating!